Sheet stacker and bundler and method



Dec. 16, 1969 A. R. STOBB SHEET STACKER AND BUNDLER AND METHOD Filed Nov. 20, 1967 lNl/ENTOR ANTON R 5 T085 ATTORNEY United States Patent US. Cl. 100-3 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A sheet stacker and bundler and method including a conveyor for supporting and leading sheets in a stream relation and into a receiver. A bed extends from the receiver and permits a part of the stack of sheets to be displaced to a position for compressing and tying of the separated stack. Thus a mechanical compressor and an automatic tying means are employed for bundling the separated stack into a secure bundle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The prior art has stackers and methods which receive sheets in a stream or imbricated relation, and which strip the sheets from the stream and stack them in aligned relation in a box. Such stacker is shown in my Patent 2,841,394. Also, in the prior art, the sheets are brought from a level from below the receiver and up to the receiver and are then stacked in the receiver and are compressed therein, as shown in my Patent 2,933,314. In those prior stackers which utilize compressors, the stack is commonly formed and compressed along a line so that the compressing .mechanism and function interfere with the normal collecting and stacking of the sheets in the receiver. Thus an operator must move at a fast speed in order to form the stack to be bundled and remove it out of the way of the incoming sheets.

Still further, the prior art requires that the stacked sheets be manually handled for placing them into position for compressing and that the sheets then be manually tied and finally manually removed from the receiver. This prior art normally requires the attention of at least two operators when the sheet receiver is taking the sheets from a high-speed printing press, for instance.

The present invention automates the functions of stacking, bundling, tying, and disposing of the bundled stack, all so that the stacker can continue to operate without requiring the attention of at least two operators, or without having an operator working at a fast pace.

Thus, it is a general object of this invention to provide a stacker and bundler which will receive sheets at a high rate of speed and which will permit the separation of the sheets into stacks in an easy and etficient manner, and which will finally compress and tie the separated stack of sheets in an easy and efiicient manner. The important feature is to reduce the manual labor required so that the operator can keep up with the speed of the incoming stream of sheets, and so that he can do so Without hurrying. Also, only a minimum of floor space is required for accomplishing these features, and most of which are done automatically so that they are done in a manner to provide a compact bundle which is tied tightly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A method of stacking and bundling sheets by moving them in an echeloned stream, stripping the sheets from the stream and forming them in a stack along one line, separating part of the stack to one side of the line and against a stop, and compressing and tying the stack part while it is against the stop.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a stack of sheets shown bundled.

FIG. 4 is a view of certain parts of the embodiment shown.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An incoming conveyor designated 10 brings sheets 11, which may be paper sheets coming from a printing press (not shown) into a receiver or stacker box generally designated 12. Thus the conveyor 10 meets with a conveyor designated 13, and the sheets 11 are shown to be in echelon relation on the conveyor 10 so that they are brought up to a stop 14 where they are stripped from the stream relation and are placed into a stacked relation, where the stack is designated 16 in the receiver 12. A conveyor 17 is thus shown to be in flow communication with the conveyor 10 to take the sheets up to the floor 13 of the receiver 12.

A backstop 19 slides along the floor 18, and it supports an end board 21 which holds up the leading end of the stack 16 as the latter grows to the right as shown in FIG. 2.

A conveyor 22, in the form of belts on pulleys 23, is shown in the receiver floor or bed 18, and the conveyor 22 would move the stack 16 to the right in FIG. 2, as mentioned. The receiver 12 has a bed generally designated 24 and extending from the floor 18. The bed 24 also has rollers 26 located thereon, and these rollers are in the form of a conveyor for moving the stack of sheets in a direction transverse to the alignment of the stack 16 in the receiver 12, and that would be moving it upwardly as viewed in FIG. 1.

Thus the operator would separate the stack 16, by placing another board, such as the board 21, at the middle portion of the stack being formed in the receiver 12. He would then move this separated part of the stack onto the rollers 26, and then move them down to a station which is aligned with compressing cylinders 27. Thus FIG. 2 shows the separated part of the stack designated 28, in the position of the station and aligned with the cylinders 27, as described. This separation and movement of the stack 28 is the only manual labor required of the operator, as all other functions are performed mechanically and automatically.

Thus the bed 24 is an extension of the receiver 12, and it is disposed at a right angle to the direction of formation of the stack 16 in the receiver 12. This offset arrangement with respect to the positioning of the stack 28 therefore clears the way for the stack 16 to continue to grow or lengthen in the receiver 12, and it also results in less floor space being required for the functions described herein.

It will also be noted that rollers 30 are disposed on each side of the bed 24 and are vertical thereon for guiding the stack 28 to the station described. Thus, the rollers 30 on the left side in FIG. 1 are suitably connected to the piston rods 29 of the cylinders 27. The cylinders 27 are shown to have air hoses 31 connected thereto, and FIG. 2 shows these hoses 31 which are shown to extend from a control box 32, which may be a solenoid type of control. An inlet air supply line 33 is shown extending into the box 32. An electric relay box 34 is shown to have a control button 36, and an electric cable 37 extends to the control box 32. Thus, upon pushing the button 36, the relay box 34 would actuate the control box 32, and thereby power the cylinders 27 to compress the stack 28 which is aligned with the cylinders 27 between 3 the rollers 30 on opposite sides of the conveyor or bed 24. This would of course compress the stack 28 and hold it compressed until it can be tied.

A binder, generally designated 38 is shown to have a track 39 extending around the stack 28 at the station mentioned. The binder also includes a conventional type of feeder machanism 41 which feeds strapping 42 from a supply coil 43 around the track 39, and thus around the stack 28. Finally, a puller and clipper mechanism 44, of a conventional design also, receives the wire strap 42 and pulls it taunt around the stack 28 and then cuts the wire 42 and also clips it to secure it to itself and with the stack 28. Thus it will be understood that the wire strap 42 is fed through the track 39 and is held by springclips or the like (not shown) in the track 39 until the puller 44 is actuated to pull the strap from the track 39 and tightly around the stack 28, all in a conventional manner. The feeder 41 and puller-clipper 44 form a tier means.

For actuating the mechanism 41 and the mechanism 44, the relay box 34 is shown to have connecting electric cables 46 and 47 extending to these mechanisms 41 and 44. Thus the relay box 34 will automatically cycle to perform the functions of compressing and binding the stack 28 in the sequence described.

In positioning the stack 28 at the station aligned with the cylinders 27, a stop-bar 48 extends upwardly into the conveyor or bed 24 to engage the stack 28 and stop it at the station. The operator can then release the stop 48, which is a releasable and retractable type stop, and permit the bound stack 28 to move further on down the conveyor 24, and in fact move on to the section 49 which extends downhill from the stop 48. Thus the stop 48 is shown in FIG. 4, and connecting linkage 51 is shown attached thereto, and the operator would have control over the linkage 51, which he could manually control by foot pressure or the like, to cause the stop 48 to be released and thereby permit the stack 28 to move beyond the stop. The stop 48 could be retracted substantially downwardly by being guided in the piece 52, as shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 3 shows the stack 28 bound with the strapping material 42 and having a board 21 secured at each end of the bound stack, as the operator had placed the boards 21 at the time of Separating this part of the stack from the sheets accumulated in the stack 16.

The operator need not push the parted stack 28 any great distance, and it should be understood that the stacker commonly operates at a speed where one bundle of sheets can be formed in a matter of one-half to one and onehalf minutes. With the stacker and bundler described, the

operator requires only seven seconds to part and offset the bundle manually, and the rest is then done automatically, so the operator can easily keep up with the pace of the highest speed stacker equipment. In other mechanisms where the bundling is accomplished, it commonly requires as much as one minute of time for the manual operations, rather than the seven seconds required with this apparatus.

The foregoing describes the method of moving sheets in a stream relation, stripping them from the stream and forming them into an aligned stack. The leading part of the stack is then separated from the entire stack, and the leading part of the stack is offset from the alignment of the complete stack. The stack portion is then moved to a station or against a stop and it is then compressed axially, tied, and then moved beyond the station in a compact bundle. The compressing and tying functions are automatic as described. The compressing is accomplished, and the part of the stack is retained compressed, until the tying or strapping is completed. U.S. Patent 3,114,308 shows a bundle compressor and tyer.

What is claimed is:

1. In a method of stacking and bundling sheets, the steps of disposing said sheets in echeloned relation in :1 stream, moving said sheets in their edgewise direction in said stream, stripping said sheets from said stream and forming said sheets in a stack on the sheet edges and on a plane and along a line to the side of said stream opposite from the side where the leading edges of said sheets are disposed in said stream, forming said stack in contact with said stream and at a speed corresponding to the continuous speed that said sheets are moving in said stream, periodically separating a part of said stack from the remainder of said stack, slidably positioning said part of said stack on said plane and to a station laterally to one side of said line of said stack and clear of the longitudinal path of said stack and against a stop operatively faced in the direction of the lateral sliding, and compressing and then tying said part of said stack at said station while said part of said stack is against said stop.

2. The method of claim 1, including sliding said part of said stack on rollers on said plane for maximum speed with minimum effort in positioning said part laterally or said stack.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,522,194 1/1925 Labombarde 7 XR 2,933,314 4/1960 Stobb 27l88 3,093,063 6/1963 Van Der Wal 100.26 3,114,308 12/1963 Saxton et al 1007 XR 3,198,105 8/1965 Smith -a 100-3 BILLY J. WILHITE, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

